Container with a breakable seal



Dec. 22, 1964 E. LECLUYSE 3,162,339

CONTAINER WITH A BREAKABLE SEAL Filed Nov. 29. 1961 INVENTOR.

5000/4190 Afd'LUYJE diam/a. 60

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,162,339 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 3,162,339 CONTAINER WITH A BREAKABLE SEAL Edouard Lecluyse, Vienne-le-Chatean, Marne, France,

assignor to Tuhoplast-France, Paris, France, a corporation of France Filed Nov. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 155,722 2 Claims. (Cl. 222-541) This invention relates to containers having breakable seals, and more especially to such containers in the form of deformable tubes of flexible, plastic or metallic sheet material from which the contents is adapted to be squeezed, as are used in particular for toothpaste, hair lotions and shampoos, as well as food products and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide such a container or tube with a breakable seal which will be tight and strong until the desired time for use, and can then be very conveniently and quickly broken olf with one hand if so desired. Another object is to provide such containers wherein the part of the seal adapted to be broken off is formed with an integral part adapted to permit resealing the container; and the breaking of the seal can be effected with one hand.

Further objects are to provide improved stands for a plurality of such containers which are provided with supporting means adapted for cooperation with the container seals both for removably supporting the containers from the stand, and for conveniently breaking the frangible seal of a container when such is to be opened. Other objects will appear.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described for purposes of illustration but not of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view through the upper part of a container according to a first form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the container of FIG. 1, suspended from a support or stand;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a container provided with a seal of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing part of a container according to a modified form of the invention after its frangible seal has been broken off;

FIG. 5 is a side view generally similar to FIG. 2 showing a container according to another modification of the invention supported from a stand provided therefor;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a stand suitable for a plurality of containers of the type shown in FIGS. 1 to 3; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container according to another embodiment of the invention supported on a stand provided therefor.

In the form of embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, an improved container comprises a tubular body 1 of flexible plastic material, e.g. polyethylene, having one end closed in a conventional manner by flattening the sides of the tube and sealing them together as at 2, and having its other end sealed with a head member 3 made of plastic j material molded in situ also in a conventional manner.

The head 3 may be oval in transverse cross section, and hence impart a corresponding oval shape to the entire tubular body. A central boss 4 is formed on the head, and overlying the boss 4 is a conical portion 6 (more clearly visible in FIGS. 2 and 3) which is integrally formed with a ring 5 positioned generally in the same plane as the flattened end 2 of the tubular body. A blind bore 7 is formed centrally throughthe head assembly just described, from the inner side thereof directed towards the interior of the container, and extending into the conical portion 6, so as to leave only a thin, frangible annular portion of material, shown at 8, between the cylindrical boss 4'and conical part6. The ringS may be used to hand the contain'er from any convenient support, such as a nail 10 driven into a vertical wall surface 9 as shown in FIG. 2. To open the container the hear portion 3 may be grasped firmly between ones fingers and a sharp bending and/or twisting action exerted, preferably a twisting action about the longitudinal axis of the container as indicated by arrow 23 in FIG. 3. The head assembly breaks ofll cleanly at the reduced frangible section 8, with the ring 5 and conical part 6 remaining suspended from the nail, and the tubular container, now provided with an end opening at '7, in the users hand.

Alternatively, if desired, the head may be broken off using both hands and without any suspension means such as the nail 10, by grasping the head 3 in one hand and the ring 5 in the other, and applying a bending and/ or twisting force.

In the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the tubular container is generally the same as in the first embodiment; however the ring 5 is provided with an upstanding axial extension stud 11 substantially equal in outer diameter to the inner diameter of blind hole 7, i.e. that of the hole 12 which appears in the end of the container after the head portion has been broken off as described above. The pin 11 serves to provide a removable seal for the container 1 in cases where the full contents of the container is not used all in one application. The stud 11 is formed with an annular shoulder 22 adapted to engage resiliently into the outer end of the hole '7 in the container, and thus imparts suificient strength to the removable seal to permit again suspending the container by means of ring 5 in the general manner shown in FIG. 2, between successive applications.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the breakable portion is generally similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, except that the ring 13 here lies substantially in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the container. The ring 5 is adapted to be clamped between the projecting flange of a bracket 14 having its other flange secured to a vertical supporting surface 9, and a strip 15 slidable on pins 16 around which the rings 13 of a plurality of similar containers may be passed. The strip 15 is adapted to be wedged against the vertical flange of the bracket 14 when it is attempted to pull the strip into a plane out of parallel to the horizontal flange of bracket 14-. I

With this arrangement, the container may be grasped with one hand and raised as indicated by the arrow 17, whereupon the strip 15 is wedged and the frangible part breaks off and remains attached to the support as in the preceding examples.

FIG. 6 illustrates a stand for containers according to FIGS. 1-3, in the form of a vertical plate bent at right angles to provide a horizontal ldge at its base. A plurality of hooks 18 are provided in a horizontal row near the top of the vertical plate for suspending therefrom a number of generally cylindrical tubular containers having in this form of the invention, circular sealed base ends, with a frangible ring-like head portion similar to what was earlier described herein with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The stand shown provides a convenient means of storing the containers and enables a container either to be removed without breaking off its top, as for showing or selling to a customer, or when desired opened by the method described with reference to FIG. 2.

In the form of embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 7, the container comprises a tubular body 1 having a sealed end and a breakable head portion which in this form includes a flange or disk 19 connected with the head plate of the tubular body by way of a thin, frangible annular portion which may be entirely similar to that de- Q t flange 19 is adapted to' be slidably insertable into opposite parallel grooves-defined in a flanged supporting member 20 which may be secured on a suitable horizontal surface such as aJtabIe, or on an inclined or a vertical vvallby means of screws 21. When desired to rernovea container intact the container is displacedlaterally along the'grooves until thevhead flange, 19 is disengaged from the strip 20; when on the other hand itis desired to open a container, it is simply necessary to apply, a bending force to the container in a plane normal to the length of the grooved strip 20. i i

It will be evident that many arrangements other than those shown can be conceived within the scope of the inan end Wall closing one end'of said body and having 5 a discharge passage terminating in a sealed dispens ing orifice; I 1 is said end Wall including an inner mouth portion having a conical aperture converging from the inner surface of said wall and communicating with said discharge passage; 7 e a i I 4 I an upstanding ring shape'd closure including a conical base portion, said base portion formed integrally with the outer surface of said end Wall and having the upper end of said discharge passage therein; and a' fracturable annular stern portion connecting said end wall with said base portion, said stem portion having a reduced outside diameter and thus reduced wall thickness as compared to'said base portion, thereby providing an easily 'fracturable area for separating said upstanding closure from said end Wall for openingsaid orifice. v a

The container of claim 1 wherein the, cross-section ofsaid discharge passage isv substantially equal to the minimum'cross-section of said conical' apert'ure.

References Cited in the file of this patent j UNITED STATES PATENTS 951,101 Clarke Mar. 8, 1910 1,757,184 Furey 1 May 6, 1930 2,392,195 Shonnard Jan. 1, 1946 2,750,068 Platt June 12,1956 2,756,530 5 "Nelson 1 July 31, 1956 FOREIGN. PATENTS 1 1,241,061 1France Apr. 1, 1960 1 Switzerland Apr. 2, 1 959 

1. A COLLAPSIBLE DISPENSING CONTAINER, COMPRISING: A FLEXIBLE CONTAINER BODY; AN END WALL CLOSING ONE END OF SAID BODY AND HAVING A DISCHARGE PASSAGE TERMINATING IN A SEALED DISPENSING ORIFICE; SAID END WALL INCLUDING AN INNER MOUTH PORTION HAVING A CONICAL APERTURE CONVERGING FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID WALL AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID DISCHARGE PASSAGE; AN UPSTANDING RING-SHAPED CLOSURE INCLUDING A CONICAL BASE PORTION, SAID BASE PORTION FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID END WALL AND HAVING THE UPPER END OF SAID DISCHARGE PASSAGE THEREIN; AND A FRACTURABLE ANNULAR STEM PORTION CONNECTING SAID END WALL WITH SAID BASE PORTION, SAID STEM PORTION HAVING A REDUCED OUTSIDE DIAMETER AND THUS REDUCED WALL THICKNESS AS COMPARED TO SAID BASE PORTION, THEREBY PROVIDING AN EASILY FRACTURABLE AREA FOR SEPARATING SAID UPSTANDING CLOSURE FROM SAID END WALL FOR OPENING SAID ORIFICE. 